The following is a Jackson Citizen Patriot editorial for Sept. 6:What we said: "Overall, it seems to us that leadership was largely missing immediately after the hurricane (Katrina) hit. That resulted in confusion, poor coordination of efforts and numerous mistakes. It may have cost some people their lives. It is easy to blame, but much harder to do the soul-searching and analysis that will help us do better as a nation next time. (Sept. 13, 2005)

What has happened: In recent days, Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf Coast after warnings that it could be "the mother of all storms." After what happened with Katrina in 2005, residents of New Orleans and other coastal areas took seriously evacuation orders by state and local authorities. Some 2 million people left the area and are only now beginning to return.

Grade

B+

President Bush later reported that governors, mayors and other officials' performance had been "excellent." He himself was on the scene quickly, personally meeting with authorities and surveying the damage. Emergency plans were coordinated and effective. And nearly everyone agreed it could have been much worse. Rather than the 1,600 people who lost their lives in the devastation of Katrina, fewer than a dozen deaths had been reported by mid-week.

The hurricane season isn't over, and other tropical storms still lurk in the region at this writing. But given the widespread dissatisfaction with the governmental response after Katrina, it is worth noting the progress. Had we been grading the response after Katrina, it might have been a "D." This response has been much better  at least a "B+."